Automatic thermostatic auto fuel mixer



March 4, 1930.

w. HUMPHR EY AUTOMATIC THERMOSTATIC AUTO FUEL MIXER Filed Feb. 12, 1927 Patented 1930 5 UNITED STATES 1 IBL W. I-IUMPHREY, or TERBE'HAU'IE, INDIANA 1 AUTOMATIC THERMOSTATIC AUTO FUEL .MIXER 7 Application filed. February,12, 1927. Seria1 No., 167,748. I

My invention relates tothat classof devices, whereby heated vapor or steam is generated by the heat'in the exhaust manifold of an automobile engine and automatically I 5 introduced into the manifold and whereby, by

means of thermostatic action, the flowof gas into the manifold is decreased as the flow or supply of heated vapor is increased, and vice versa. i a

The objects of my invention are: first, to provide a heat radiated from the engine of a gas motor, and said vapor or steam will be automatical- 5ly inducted into theintake of the engine and properly mixed with the gas whereby the en? gine is driven; second, to provide such a device which will be operatedautomatically by means of, properly adjusted levers and ther- '2 mostatic connections;'third, to provide such so connected and thermostatically,

' operated and regulated, th'at when the speed a device,

- of the engine is increased and incidentally the heat radiated from the engine increased, a

"" greater supplyof vapor or steam will be mixed witha proportionately decreased flow engine is descreased the supply of vapor will Qdiminish and the flow of gas will increase;, fourth, to providejsuch a device, whereby A much greater mileage will be obtained. from, a fixedsupply of liquid fuel and fifth, to provide such a device, whereby the introduction of vapor or steam properly mixed with the gas will tend to prevent the accumulation of carbon in the engine; 7 7

These, objects I attain by means of the I I mechanismillustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1, 1s an eleva tached to the engine of an automobile, parts of the engine being shown in outline.

g Figure 2, isja detail of the'thermostatic' -member. I

Similar letters and numerals refer .to simi lar parts throughout the several views; V The letter Aindicates a common typeof a r gas engine, of which the letter (1 indicates the cylinder-case, the letter I) the manifold, the

device whereby water stored in a container, will-be heated and vaporized, by.

of gas and viceversa, when the speed of the non of the devlce atbetween thefor'ked ends of the levers 8;;and

13,"a1id'causes them to operatein unison.

jacket, of the engine,

The numeral 1 i dlcates acylindrical'comletter cthe intake and the letter dthe heatingtaine'r, which is mounted, by meansiof suitable means of attachment, upon the manifold 55. of the engine and adjacent thereto The .numeral 2 indicates a metal apron-attached to and pendant from 'said cylindrical .co1i--' V tainer, which is curved tojfit" snugly over the curved sideof the manifold of the enginean d to extend downwardly and lie flatly against the engine cylinder-case a, to which it is at tached by; stay-bolts.

A pipe'ifi- 1s tapped into'thetop of the ,cy-, N

flindri'al" container andleadsdownward tof a valve-5, and a pipe6 extends from said valve 5 to the intake of 'the manifold, into which it has fluid passage connection.

" The .valve-st'em 7 of'th e, valve Bextends downwardly and is attachedto a forked lever t 8, for the purpose hei einafterset forth!- a thermostat comprising a, coiled spring 9, the outer end of which is angled and'adapted to fit flatly against the-apron, 2 to which it 1 isattache d, 'a peiidant'shaft 10, which is at--' tached to theinner end of the ooiledspring, and .a suitable box-like housing 11 {which is imou'nted upon said apron immediately above the carburetor 1'2 ofthe engine.'-

forked levr, 'l8,rsimilar inform; ammo I flen'gthto the forked-lever 8, is attached near 1 the lower end of theshaftlO and a'-yoll:e-like connection rod 14,, is 'fmounted upon the extr e'melower' "end of'said shaft 10, and serves Ytoj connect said shaft with'said upwardly ea projecting stem 15 of the-carburetor valve "in suchman'ner that the valve-stein is actuati fed by the 'movement of the shaft 10 ofthe tl ermostat.v i

"A 'connecltlng 'rod 16 is pivotally' mounted to 'Whe'nsaid device is mounted upon and in COIlIlBCtlOILWlth the engine, the water withln and in the decreaseiof the gas required to The heat generated by the operation of the engine is radiated from the cylinder-jacket, and heats the coil-spring 0f the thermostat thereby causing said spring to expand or contract as the heat is increased or decreased, respectively.

The operation of the thermostat shaft, by expansion or contraction of the coil-spring, opens or closes the valve of the carburetor, thereby regulating the flow of gas into the manifold, in proportion to the speed of the engine and the incidental heating of the cylinder-jacket.

In like-manner the operation of the thermostat shaft, through theconnecting-rod 16 and the forked-lever 8, will actuate the valve said two levers and adapted to operate the said two valves in unison.

IRL W. HUMPHREY.

5 and increase the flow of vapor into the intake of the engine, when the speed and temperature of the engine are increased, thereby causing a large supply of vapor to mix with a proportionately diminished flow of gas; and when the speed and incidental production of vapor is diminished, the thermostat shaft will open the valve of the carburetor wider and proportionately close the valve 5, thereby automatically injecting a mixture. of fuel richer in gas and proportionately leaner in vapor. I

The advantages claimed for my device over other similar devices used heretofore for similar purposes, consist in the automatic and proportionate alteration of the mixture of gas and vapor by the mere change in the speed of the engine, in the increased power attained by the vaporized mixture of fuel attained, the decreased carbonization of cylinders and valves attained by the mixture so provided 1 operate the engine.

WhatI claim as new and by Letters Patent, is

In an automatic thermostatic auto-fuel i mixer, the combination with an internal combustion engine, of a water-container, mounted upon and adapted to be heated by contact with the manifold of said engine, a metal apron attached to and pendent from said desire to secure Water-container and side of the crankcase of q the engine, a tube in fluid-passage connection with the top of said water-container, and a cutofi-valve located in said tube, a tube leading from said cutofl 'valve to an inlet provided at the base of the intake of the engine,

a forked lever fixed upon the projecting end of the valve-stem of said cutofl-valve, a thermostatic member comprising a coil-spring attached to said apron and adapted to expand when heated by radiation from the engine,

and a shaft attached at its upper end to the free end of said coil-spring, a forked-lever fixed upon the lower end of said shaft, a connection-rod pivotally connecting the outer ends of said two forked-levers, a fork-like connection mounted uponothe extreme lower end of said shaft and in operative connection 7 

